Wampum Otgowa

Wampum Otgowa

“Wampum belt commemorating the Iroquois [sic] Confederacy” pictured in Popular Science Monthly Vol. 28 via wikipedia.orgDocuments woven of shell beads, called wampum (otgowa), record Onondaga and Haudenosaunee history and brings to life the voice of the ancestors. Here we share the oral teachings of the wampum belts associated with the Great Law of Peace. Hiawatha (Hayenhwátha’) was said to have found shell beads on a dry lake bed where Tully lakes are now located. He presented those beads to the Peacemaker who declared that they would be used to record the Great Law of Peace.

Together, the original Chiefs wove these belts with symbolic designs to keep the words of the Peacemaker and the concepts of Skä·noñh alive. The original belts are held by the Onondaga Nation and the Confederacy Chiefs Council at Grand River. The belts seen here are replicas made of ceramic beads that appear much like the actual wampum.

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From Eagle’s View…The Tree represents, The Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy of Five Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga & Seneca (Tuscarora joined 18C). This union is reflected in the five needle clusters on the White Pine, which was planted over 1,000 years ago by the Peacemaker at Onondaga Lake. This Great Tree of Peace influenced Western Democracy, Women’s Rights, Deyhontsigwa’ehs (lacrosse), Sustainable Agriculture, etc. Its White Roots continue to grow in four directions today.

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